


All I Want for Christmas is for You to Notice Me

by orphan_account



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: AIWFCILA, All I Want For Christmas Is Love Actually, Blushy Liam, Christmas AU, Fluff, M/M, Oblivious Zayn, ziam
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-23
Updated: 2014-12-23
Packaged: 2018-03-03 00:43:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,264
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2831942
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>liam has been crushing on his neighbour and zayn been oblivious</p>
            </blockquote>





	All I Want for Christmas is for You to Notice Me

**Author's Note:**

> disclaimer: I do not own one direction. 
> 
> \- 
> 
> For the All I Want For Christmas Is Love Actually Collection on tumblr. 
> 
> -  
> 

Liam Payne lived next to Zayn Malik for more than four years now, and in the span of those four years has Zayn never acknowledged him. Not a smile or a glimpse, really. And Liam doesn’t know what to do, he tried everything from waving and being ignored to knocking on his door for a cup of sugar knowing he has more than enough. Even then, all he got was: “no, mate I don’t have any.” Then the door is closed in his face, not rudely or anything like that, but all to quickly before a Liam can get in a “alright, thanks, though.”

Zayn even buys his coffee from the teashop that Liam works in. Picking up the same box he gets every other week, purchasing it without a word with the same exact change so he doesn’t have to wait a second longer. And every morning on his way to work, Liam sees him walking out of his house with a thermos of scorching hot coffee, his glasses over his tired-looking eyes, a beanie over his unruly, jet black hair as he picks up his mail and a newspaper with his house-slippers on.

Everyone can see that Liam is smitten—it isn’t hard if you had eyes—but Zayn is oblivious to the clear fact inadvertently. It’s frustrating that Liam is doing the everything and beyond for someone that clearly had no interest, but the heart wants what it wants, and that is Zayn.

-

Mornings as cold as that one, is mornings when Liam doesn’t want to get out of his bed to go to work. He just wants to cuddle himself in a hep of blankets with a mug of hot chocolate with the T.V playing back-to-back Christmas movies. He wants to turn the heat up to the max and walk around his flat in his underwear knowing it's snowing madly outside.

Rolling out of his comfy bed with a exasperate groan he struts to his bathroom after grabbing his towel and a new pair of boxers. Twenty minutes later he's strolling out, towel low on his hips and dripping of water, he quickly gets dress in his uniform then grabs a pear off his counter before rushing through the doors of his flat.

He bits into the pear to hold in his mouth so he can lock his flat door until he spots Zayn—with a navy blue beanie on and a mug of hot liquid. He is looking more tired than usual on this cold morning at 8:30 in the morning, and Liam can’t concentrate on his task as his undivided attention is on the bloke he has been crushing (can you still call it crushing after three and a half years?) on. He blushes a rosy pink colour as Zayn looks in his direction for a spilt second, the pear slips out of the grip his teeth has sunk into it.

“Morning.” Liam says all to cheerfully, smiling like a mad, lightly waving.

Nodding to the bloke with the blush and the now-bruised fruit by his foot, he walks pass him to get to the lift so he can receive a morning newspaper and mail if the mailman isn’t on hols break.

“‘M Liam by the way, you’re Zayn right?” Liam jogs up to him and slips pass the closing doors of the lift. Smiling close-lip, fiddling irritatedly at his fingernails while waiting for a response, Zayn shrugs his shoulders almost unnoticeably if Liam wasn’t staring at him like he was the prettiest, quaint human being to ever walk the earth—anybody would’ve missed it. Blowing then slipping his tea cautiously Liam coughs awkwardly, “just wanted to introduce myself.” He continues timidly, barely above a whisper.

When the bell rings and opens up to the main floor; Liam is the first one out, taking in a huge inhale as if that was the most terrifying thing he just had to go through. It isn’t per se but it isn’t the greatest first (second, third, fourth, maybe fifth?) interaction he’d like to have with Zayn. Clearly small talk isn’t either of their things.

“Any luck trying to talk with that lad in yer apartment yet? Or nothing again?” That is how his co-worker and best mate, Harry Styles greets him every morning with a small, teasing pout. Liam shoves him to the side with a not-so playful scold when he takes off his coat, scarf, mittens, and beanie then stuffs them in one of the arms of his coat before hanging it up.

Liam sags his shoulders sadly, “I need to give up. He doesn’t want anything to do with me.”

Harry sighs, “I think you should what ever you feel what’s right. I’m still going to be your awesome best friend.” He smiles brightly smacking Liam on the bum making his way back out of the employees only room. Liam greets his supervisor with a good morning and a forced smile. The store is rather busy for a normal work day, mostly nobody wants to stack up on teas and coffees. But there’s people everywhere scrambling about, trying to get the holiday peppermint hot chocolate that's ridiculously popular.

“Good morning, how are you, My name’s Liam.” He walks up to a costumer that is scanning the shelves, picking up boxes reading them then huffing as she puts them down. “Would you like some help?”

She turns to him nodding, “ah yes. I’m looking for a proper tea that is good to rid of commons colds. I’m always poorly and medicine isn’t doing the trick,” she tells him, then a loud, funny sneeze follows after as she gives Liam that “you see!” expression.

“Elderflower tea will do just the trick.” Liam informs her and she smiles at him as a thank you then she’s off in the direction he sends her for the tea. “Hope you’re alright soon, love!” He bids her halfway down the aisle.

The day goes by gruellingly slow. The store is a mess which means no leaving until it's clean, he’s restless, body aches; he can literally feel the ground through the soles of his worn-out Chuck Taylor’s. Liam prolly slapped Harry awake three times in the last ten minutes demanding him through gritted teeth to tidy up so they can get out faster, they try though, really hard to get everything done before ten o’clock.

“Crush alert,” Harry hisses as he’s sweeping up knocked over coffee at the front entrance. Liam doesn’t hear him, he’s busying him by counting the register. He curses dropping the broom to unlock the door, “hullo!” He says all too brightly making Zayn jump back in fright.

“Uh, hi.” He strings out tiredly, voice gravelly, deep and really slow, “you lot closed already?” He quizzically asks, pulling out his phone and check the time; his eyes widen at the time but Harry doesn’t see that as he’s to busy bitting his lip as he watches Liam at the cash oblivious to the world.

“A little, but just give me a sec and you can get whatever you need, yeah?”

Slamming the door a little to harshly in Zayn’s face and locking it, he fiddles around with his fingers curled into his hair as he rushes over to his mate. He yanks Liam away making the lad drop all the money he’s counting, he curses out profanities then scolds. Harry runs his fingers through Liam’s mohawk, fixing it so it isn’t askew and licks his thumbs and smears it over his bushy eyebrows; he twisting the apron off his body and straightens out his shirt. “There, perfect.” He sighs out as Liam is still standing there frazzled as ever.

“The bloody hell?”

He goes unanswered before he can even think straight again Harry’s gone. He shakes his head because sometimes he wonders why he’s friends with that loser, but then he remembers that Harry was there for him when nobody was, when he had to take up boxing lessons because blokes at his school wanted to beat him up all because he turned down Jessie Gooding date offer. Well, it’s not his fault he goes go for the same team. Even if, he did go for girls Jessie was definitely not his type. He didn’t like the conceited, spoiled type and she was all that.

Liam bends over and picks up the fallen money before he heard someone clear their throat, “can I cash out?” He freezes because in no fucking way can that be Harry’s voice. The voice is gravelly, tired, and slow—but no where near honey-dripping like his best mate’s. And Liam is definitely going to kill Harry once he done; he looks up and sees the curly haired fuckboy with a sardonic grin then he has the audacity to wink.

“Shitshitshitshitshit—” he murmurs out like a mantra when he heard a ahem, face as red as beets and money long forgotten on the ground again. He slowly rises to his chagrin with a smile but not like Zayn notices as he is busy twirling the coffee box in his hand. Liam tries not to stare to long but how can he not when Zayn is looking like that, all dishevelled with his glasses and a beanie on with his blond fringe sticking out in different directions like I-just-might-of-got-out-of-bed-twenty-minutes-ago and threw my outfit on but with a touch of I-had-pyjama-photo-shoot so don’t mind me look. He blushing more madly when the bloke makes eye contact then his body reactions into puddle of goo and the store becomes sweltering then Zayn grins tight-lipped and uncomfortable when he places the item on the counter to take out the change.

“Thanks mate,” he says without a glance, grabbing his things and leaving.

Liam’s whole body relaxes uncomfortably like he was tense all this time and never knew. Harry comes over beaming with the broom in hand doing a little, awkward dance; Liam scowls, narrowing his eyes. This is a good time to throttle his neck, he thinks.

“Thank me later, if you will.”

“You’re an idiot.” He spats, “a bloody moron, why would you let him in if we’re closed?!”

“Why are you getting so upset? I did it for you.” He says a bit dumbfounded, because isn’t this what his friend wanted?

“Did what for me? I made a fool of myself and even then he didn’t fucking notice me. Don’t meddle into this Harry. This crush is rubbish,” he finishes lowly.

Harry didn’t reply, he didn’t know how but he did nod.

-

It’s going on four am and Zayn can’t seem to put down his notebook and pen; he’s been writing nonstop for the pass seven hours, this book is so important; his future depends on it so he definitely can’t afford to make a mistake or less good then he excepts. Everything that he writes is fresh and if he waits second to long to jot it down, it’ll be forgotten or hard to write because even when his brain is focus it’s still making up other scenarios it goes into overdrive until Zayn is started another hundred more new stories that he has no time for.

He already started three new books and has five unfinish, he has to hand one in into his publisher. And he registered himself into this art contest that he started but has yet to finish; he has no time to train it back to Bradford for the holidays. It’s going to break his mum’s heart as well as it is his dad and sisters because he promised he’ll visit for Christmas when he couldn’t make for Spring Break. But he sweeps the thoughts of his family to the back of his pulsing brain and continues to ignore everything around him.

“Mate, give it a rest, yeah?” Louis Tomlinson says, all tiresome while he’s sprawl out on Zayn’s double-sized mattress. Louis tends to spend most of the week over at Zayn’s flat because it’s closer to the university he attends, less crowded then it’ll be over at his house with eight people and he gets to spend time with his best mate that is always busy to make time for him.

“You have weeks to finish, and it’s hols break aren’t you going to visit your mum and dad?”

He doesn’t answer Louis because he’s too busy rereading chapter ten of his story. He groans and scrubs the eraser over the paper harshly but not before Louis yanks the notebook out of his hands. “Lou!” He gawks, scowling at his friend when he flings the notebook across the small room.

“Close your eyes and rest.” It’s a plea, a desperate plea. Since he’s been over for the week Louis hasn’t seen Zayn sleep, maybe he slipped in and out of consciousness a few times but Zayn will jerk himself awake and go make another cup of coffee.

“Can’t. Need to get this shite done!—now fucking get my book back before I kick your arse out!” He seethes out glaring, Louis laughs.

“When I get back I wanna see you laying down. Gonna make you a cuppa.”

A few minutes later Louis comes back into the room and he’s surprised that Zayn actually listened, the lights are off and when he flicks them he sees Zayn all tuckered out the duvet covered up to his torso but one of his legs are flung off the bed. Louis sighs in relief then puts down the mugs of tea on the nightstand, he crawls underneath the sheets and cuddles up to his friend before dozing off.

The next morning Zayn wakes up four hours later, untangling himself from Louis’ limbs to go to the bathroom. He grabs his shower things on his way, slowly undressing until he’s in the nude and ready to get into the tub, he turns the water to scorching hot.

Liam wakes up to his alarm blaring, he groans slapping his alarm off the nightstand until it plugs out and stops. He sighs sitting up in his bed and stretching out his limbs, he feels his joints pop before rolling out.

“Harry, get up,” he says shaking him, he groans jolting Liam off. Harry slept over because him and his mum got into an argument and stormed out. He wouldn’t tell Liam what the argument was about but is he had to be bad if Harry had to leave so Liam didn’t question him. And Liam didn’t mind that Harry came banging on his door at twelve in the night, all red and fuming.

“I’ll kill you if you shake me one more time,” it is a loose threat and it makes Liam laugh and ruffle Harry’s unruly curls as the sleeping boy slaps his hand away hissing. Liam then drags his feet to the kitchen, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes and yawning before putting on a pot of brew. He ends up scrambling eggs and hash browns, the aroma leads into the bedroom that makes a fussy Harry stroll in with a pouty lip and droopy eyes.

“Morning, Sleeping Beauty,” Liam teases and Harry rolls his eyes, giving Liam the finger then he picks up and takes a huge bite of the the hash brown.

“Going to work?”

He shakes his head putting the used pans into the sink and rinsing them off with hot water, “day off,” Liam says sighing happily, “you?” He stares up at Harry and he nods without eye contact.

“Start at eleven finish at six. It’s not fun without you Li, call in for a shift!” Lye whines, pleadingly.

“No way, I need a day off. But you have fun and I heard Jeff is working,” he starts chuckling because Jeff is the meanest, most bossiest Manager there, and no ones really likes him. So he’s jubilated that he doesn’t have to go in and it’s even funnier by the way Harry is glaring at him like he wants to bite him.

“Fuck you, Liam!” Harry shouts out after him as Liam’s making his way to the door.

He I'd going to get the morning newspaper and to see if he can catch Zayn on his way there. And he knows that’s proper stalking but at this point and in Liam’s case it’s probably love. When he slips through the door and bumps into a figure that’s coming out of Zayn’s flat he rushes out a apology and at the end almost saying Zayn’s name before even looking up.

And it’s not the people he wanted to see. But instead he’s eye to eye with a bloke with chestnut hair that is styled bed head and tired blue-green eyes, he’s wearing a oversized cut-at-the-sleeves top that he seen Zayn wear more than enough to know that the person wasn’t wearing his own clothes. A frown makes way to Liam mouth and so does a blush to his cheeks.

“Sorry ‘bout that, Mate,” he says all groggily then smiles lightly at Liam while rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. “Still pretty knackered from not getting sleep last night.”

Liam inwardly grimaces, his body shuddering with disgust.

“Great. Well, I have to go, nice to meet you.” He says all sarcastically then rolls his eyes, walking away before the bloke can get a word out.

“Louis. My name is louis and ‘m a friend of your neighbour, Zayn.” He replies loudly jogging up to Liam as they stand and wait for the lift to come. “You know him?”

Liam nods blushing. He wishes he never blushed so easily at everything especially if it involved Zayn too. “Not really, just know he’s my neighbour, is all.” He finishes with a sigh and nonchalant shrug as if it didn’t sting a bit that he is trying his hardest to try and get to know that lad that he desperately wants to get to know but he wouldn’t even give him the time or day.

“You’re proper in love with my mate.” Louis teases, poking at a Liam’s stomach as if they known each other for ages. But that’s the type of person Louis is, never shy or his non-usual self around new faces.

“What!?” Shouts Liam in defence; shocked as well because how could one person that he met not even give minutes ago know such a secret. Is it that obvious? “I don’t even know him!”

“Whoa! I was kidding, just a little tease, is all.”

Liam doesn’t say anything back when the lift arrives and him and Louis both get in without a word. They go to the lobby, get a newspaper and head back up without a word. Liam slams the door when he walks through his flat and sees Harry eating cereal rather than the breakfast he made.

When Louis toes off Zayn’s worn-out Air Nikes and slumps down beside his friend on the sofa that looks like it’s second handed, Zayn scowls at his as his laptop almost falls of the arm of the sofa and he was centimetres away from spilling his morning brew all over himself. 

“Got your stupid newspaper.” He flings it into Zayn’s lap then gets up and strolls to the kitchen without yelling: “and you stupidly attractive neighbour fancies you.” He grins after he hears Zayn cough up a mouthful of tea. 

-

Weeks later, the night before Christmas Eve slash Louis’ birthday, Zayn is in his bed wide awake at three am. He hasn’t painted or written a sentence for his book in probably two weeks just to show Louis that his neighbour doesn’t fancy him. Liam is the bloke’s name, he is stupidly attractive as Louis says he is and Zayn face-palms because why hasn’t he notice this guy long ago? And the more he catches Liam in the mornings when he’s on his way to work (the tea shop that he buys his tea from, why hasn't he noticed before?) and talks to him, he can tell that it’s more than a crush, he’s proper smittened. The cheek-aching smile the crimson blush that never dissapears, the stuttering and the two left feet, it’s all there and he even sees that Curly Haired bloke Liam is always hanging around with teasing him.

“Is there a reason why you’re calling me at this hour of the night? And on my birthday?” 

“My neighbour fancies me, how have you noticed before me? What do I do? This never happened before? holy shite—do you know what this means?” He rambles on, the phone between his ear and shoulder and he pulls at the roots of his hair. 

It’s shocking yes, Zayn has never been in a relationship before, he’s way to busy for them and always oblivious to the fact that a person might be smitten with him. But he always known that he liked guys instead of girls because, well, there’s porn. . . On the internet. 

“Well, first. Don’t ever ring me at three bloody am again! Are you daft or summat? Second, when it’s not three am go and talk to him, like offer him a cookie.” 

Zayn sighs, and thinks that’s a great idea, everybody likes cookies right? He mental notes to go over to Liam’s around eleven. 

“Thanks mate. Oh and happy birthday, you still coming over?” 

-  
Liam’s packing his bag with clothes and all the other stuff he needs when he goes over to his parents’ for the holiday. He makes sure that all the presents are in his bag first then his toothbrush and underwear, and the Christmas sweater his mum had knitted him four Christmas’ ago when she was in her knitting faze—that he secretly hates but she loves so much. 

“Do you really have to go today? Can’t you go early tomorrow!” Harry whines from Liam’s bed. Since that night Harry came banging on his door at midnight he hasn’t gone home, and not that Liam minds or anything but he really thinks that Harry should make up with his mum. 

“Yes, mum would flip if I decided to come on Christmas,” he shouts from the bathroom. “Why don’t you go home to your mum, bet she misses you,” he pushes and Harry scoffs. 

“Not likely. She said she doesn’t want me back unless I go back to school. She knows I hated UNI, it’s not for me, I’m fine but she doesn’t think so.” 

Liam sighs, he should’ve know, it’s not the first time Harry’s mum, Anne done this. All she wants is the best for her son. But she’ll be calling him to come back home soon. 

“She wants what’s best.” 

He hums a responds. 

When Liam is getting ready to head out there’s a knock on his door. He raises a brow and picks the the roast beef sandwich and yanks the door open, his mouth visibly drops when he sees Zayn awkwardly standing in front of him with a container in his hands and his glasses almost falling from the bridge of his nose. 

A blush instantly invades Liam’s cheeks as he bites his lips from the wide smile that wants to appear. Zayn will never understand why he has this effect on Liam but it’s nice to know that he does. 

“Hello. Morning, are you busy?” He asks looking straight at the redden boy, he shakes his head forgetting that he should be on his way to his parents’ right joe before his mum flips and starts ringing down his phone. 

“I brought you cookies, I hope you like peppermint chocolate chip, I made them myself by the way.” He tells him and Liam takes him from him, he opens the container and picks up a cookie, he bites into in and almost moans out loud. 

There really good. 

“Thanks, these are good,” he groans when he stuffs the rest into his mouth then giggles after when Zayn laughs and brushes the crumbs off the side of his lip. 

“I came over here because. . . . .a little birdie told me that, um—uh,” he starts to shake his head then he changes the subject. “What are you doing this New Years?” 

Liam’s eyes widen as he started to get giddy, “nothing, I’ll be back from my parents house Nee Years Eve, so January 1st I’m totally free.” 

“Great. I’ll see you then,”

Then the most unexpected thing happened. . . Before Liam can even think straight again, Zayn’s lips were on his, moulding their mouths sloppily, breathy moans escaping Liam’s mouth into Zayn’s. He slowly guided the container of cookies to the counter before fisting Zayn’s shirt, pulling his body into his and gripping his hips as he spreads his fingers so their lightly digging into the flesh of Zayn’s arse. 

They pull apart panting heavily, their lips almost swollen but red as a hazy smile are on both of his lips. 

“I’ve been wanting to do that for a very long time, wow!” 

Zayn bites his lips cheeks turning a rosy pink before he kisses Liam’s lips once more. “Now you don’t have to wait no more.” He says dragging the other boy’s body to his so their chest to chest. He cuddles him a bit then Liam remembers that he really has to go. 

“Seriously all I wanted for Christmas was for you to notice me. Probably the best Christmas ever.” 

Zayn giggles and presses another hard, sloppily kiss to Liam’s lips then followed him to the lobby where they shared another few kisses before he was on his way to his parents but not before the two boys exchanged numbers. 

-

**Author's Note:**

> twitter: @2008ZIAM  
> tumblr: uanziamstan


End file.
